Mayor opens new preschool at ACG Tauranga

Western Bay of Plenty District Council Mayor Garry Webber officially cut the ribbon of ACG Tauranga’s new preschool at a sunset event on the campus in Pyes Pa.

The opening launches the school’s complete education pathway from preschool to Year 13.

Centre Manager Ellen White said having a preschool, primary and secondary school on one campus would allow preschool staff to work alongside Year 1 teachers to tailor an individual, seamless transition plan for every child.

“We will be able to continue the quality of education and retain the love of learning that children develop in preschool,” she said.

The purpose-built preschool has separate, open-plan classrooms for different age groups, with no barrier between indoor and outdoor spaces so children can easily move from the classroom to the playground.

The play-based curriculum will make full use of the campus’ almost 15 hectares of fields and gully full of bugs, insects and wildlife, as well as its gym and classrooms.

Staff welcomed the first children through the doors last week, and will ultimately accommodate 70 students from the age of three months to 5 years.

Principal Shawn Hutchinson said that with the continued development of Tauranga and The Lakes, the school would eventually grow to educate 700 students from preschool to Year 13.

He said as the school grows, its focus – at every year level – would remain on quality education, tailored to the individual.

Today our preschool celebrates its very first birthday! The biggest highlight for us has been creating relationships with all of our foundation children and their families. It has been a year of successes.